A Succinct Guide to 2.09
This is an updated (rewritten by Fraktik) guide for the online multiplayer version, which reflects changes in "standard" FreeCiv tactics in 2006-2007. See A Succinct Guide to 2.08 for previos (not so up-to-date) guide, you may find some useful information there. The guide is for War client/War server (for several reasons you may want to use the latest client modification -- PepClient). There are by now a lot of gameplay changes from Freeciv, and the most important is the "experimental" caravan revenue (inner traderoutes give the same revenue as foreign ones). See the list of multiplayer-tuned settings All very shortly 10 cities, trade, traderoute with caravans, republic, marketplace, harbours and '' RAPTURE!!'' ' :) The scheme of science goals '' '''Trade -- Republic -- Map Making -- Banking -- construction -- democracy -- sanitation -- economics -- industrialization -- refining -- flight -- Amphibious Warfare -- Tactis ' ... (end need to be improved...) '' Basic strategy At start, find the geographic center of your island. Make near it capital (whale, fish or wine near is very recommended). Set tax on 60% science, Goal to Trade. Others cities must be on seaside, near whales or fishes in best case (second 2 cities shouldn't be more than 2 tiles away from the first, because you don't get the full trade because of corruption). Cities are best on tips of island, becouse you need utmost segments of sea for rapture. Use workers to do roads between your cities (and your future cities too). Disband Explorers in yours city to help make settlers (after discover whole your island). If your city grow up to size 2, buy there settlers. Buy them until your island is full (about 7-12 cities). After you recive Trade, new goal is The Republic. Set tax more to gold, and buy caravans like mad. Realy mad! Estimate full trade. Buy marketplaces. With Republic make revolution to Republic (try starting revolution one turn before you get Republic, smart using of caravans is the key) and new science goal is Seafaring. Increase tax for gold again (to 70%). Around turns 48-50 (1600BC) you should have several size 3 cities. Don't wait for all cities to get size 3 and full trade, start buying Harbours and Marketplaces, set luxury to 20-30% and rapture your cities. Make one or two triemes too (to discover sea around your cities and get full effect from harbours). Try buying marketplaces first, however several cities will not start rapturing without harbours. Try to continue rapturing as smoothly as possible. You will need to learn Construction, Banking, Sanitation, Economics and Democracy (the order may vary, the key is getting Aquaducks and Sewer Systems in proper time, and Marketplaces, Banks and Stock Exchage as soon as possible). Build Libraries after Banks and Univercities after Stock Exchanges, switch to Democracy when it's available. Tax should be maintained at 70-80%, but you sometimes will change the science to 70% (to get several techs faster). Continue rapturing until your cities are size 16-20. Usually temples, coloseums, courthouses and cathedrals are useless, however they help to decrease luxury rate sometimes. Your development may vary from this point. Good idea is to learn Industrialisation fast and use transports for scouting area around your island. Use marines to rush on your weak enemies. To raise your war potential, learn Tactics (Baracks II, Alpines for protection, Cavalries to conquer enemy lands or throw away early attacks), Combustion (use submarines to protect your waters or dominate enemy water space), Flight (Fighters). (more words on late techs needed there) Notes Sometimes monarchy first and then trade are optimal (pisto), most players are going straigt to Trade and Republic is next in queue... Its depends on how many have you whales, fishes and wine near yours (mains) city and (probably) on size your islands too. For some turns before you will discovere Trade, build only settlers your cities, add warriors first (if build settlers next turn) and disband them later for caras (caravans). Or use the settlers (especially from less important cities ) for grow up some city on seaside, which is smaller than 3. By rapture Vote for longer timeout if you need it, timeout is about 60 or more at such a phase (/set timeout 100). Technical issues: --This section should be moved to Warclient IMHO --LXj 08:36, 10 May 2007 (UTC) For better contro of game, use the ''' PepClient: Warclient for LinuX (for Win is still missed sudenly. :'-/ '' ) --There is actually a link to Windows build at this page ''Trade routes and sending caravans - Pepeto's client helps to get maximum trade from them: when all your cities are built, select them all (right click, drag mouse) and press Shift-A (or shift + a + click on city). Then press Ctrl-T to see the result of calculation of traderoutes. And select action apon arriving in WarClient menu (make traderoute). When caravans are built, press Ctrl-H to auto-send them. After will be full trade done, press Ctrl-T again how manipulate with many of units "all in once" - multiselection in PepClient: '' Use '''shift + F3' first, to select all units of same type on continent with shift+c, you could only choose the ones doing nothing (depends on your settings of filters in Menu/PepClient/Multi-selection mode) ( Need be improved - I am not able to use this feature by this guide yet! :-( ) If you hatte messages like: 11:18:43 PepClient: Saved settings to file C:\Program_Files\Freeciv-2.0.9-gtk2-engOnly/.pepsettings'' in your Chat, then open Menu/Game/''PepClient Settings'', go to on tab Main and set Save settings all the x turns on "0". Try ctrl+A for set autoattack mode for yours units. Look over all menus for be familiarize with key shortcuts. Commands by keyboard -- RTFM Server commands. Warclient-specific things should be noted on Warclient page--LXj 08:36, 10 May 2007 (UTC) these short necessary commands are entered in chat screen: /list con (is possible see, who is real human) /o '(/observe some player) '/ta (/take control of some free player) /vote yes (or 'no') /set timeout 30 (delay for one turn - there will be initiated a vote to change timeout) others, not too necessary: /sc (/score) /help command /help command ;-) /me anything (/metamessage - set comment of internet server) /wall popUp window for all connected players /team ' '/aitoggle /create NAME (AI player) /away '(turn on AI) '/timeoutincrease and: ctrl-alt-rclick for input of coordinates from map full l--[[User:Fraktik|fraktik] 19:55, 9 May 2007 (UTC)ist of commands] Special ThX to: LXj Pablo Pisto Forza Sigilium Pepeto gn and some other hard players... (this was my teachers for last 3 days, so this is (almost :) ) whole their's wisdom, which they give me!) by --fraktik 19:55, 9 May 2007 (UTC)